


Stranger Like Me

by Geekygirl24



Category: Tarzan (1999)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ignores family link, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-09-07 22:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20316955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geekygirl24/pseuds/Geekygirl24
Summary: Prompt from Guest: Could you do Tarzan AU with Tarzan x Clayton pairing. Clayton is examining the jungle and Jane is nearby sketching animals when baboon attack happens Jane gets away, but Clayton isn't so lucky. Tarzan saves him and they fall in love! Clayton who's messed up way treat animals is result of his abusive childhood.





	1. Chapter 1

Clayton hated being on babysitting duty. It was for a number of reasons, the main one being that Jane Porter was not suited to being in the jungle, certainly not travelling through it in that yellow dress of hers.

No, no, no. She was far more suited to remaining in the camp, surrounded by all those books and research. 

The second reason was because, as Jane insisted on sketching something in the trees, he was left alone with his own thoughts, and that was something he could do without.

//Weakling boy! \\\

Clayton shook his head, clearing that spiteful, voice from his memory.

“Clayton!” Jane hissed, “Clayton, look at this.”

Happy to take his mind off his own memories, Clayton twisted around, sighing at the sight of a baby baboon eating a piece of fruit. “Very nice Miss Porter.” He then watched as the baboon climbed all over the woman before snatching the sketchbook from her hands.

Of course, he laughed.

“This isn’t funny Clayton!” Jane hissed, before moving to chase after the cheeky baboon, which of course meant that Clayton was obliged to follow, listening to Jane mutter angrily to herself, as she picked up the pages of her sketchbook.

When the baboon finally stopped, Clayton groaned as Jane held out her hand, like she was speaking to a naughty toddler.

“Give me that! I will give you to the count of three… one… two… Oh look, a banana!”

As the baboon turned, probably just in response to her pointing, rather than the actual sentence. With it distracted, Jane snatched her page back, cackling in delight. “Oh, I can’t believe you fell for that!”

“Miss Porter, can we please go back to the camp now that you’ve finished traumatising small baboons?”

She was too busy mocking it though.

As soon as he heard the feral growling, Clayton was on the defence, whipping his shotgun out and aiming it at the pack of baboons behind them.

“There, you see…” Jane began, “… I told you they’d be- “

“- Miss Porter, please!” Clayton snapped, “You are not- Hey!”

The shotgun was snatched from his hands, seconds before the baboons let out a feral war cry and charged towards them. Jane screamed, even as Clayton cursed furiously, the pair making a run for it through the hanging branches, upturned roots and slimy moss.

Clayton honestly hated his life sometimes.

As Jane suddenly veered off in another direction, Clayton couldn’t help but curse again, spotting a gorge up ahead.

Hopefully he’d built up enough speed.

Picking up the pace just a little, he jumped for it, feeling something cling onto his jacket, preventing him from falling to his death. Opening his eyes, he frowned at the sight of the ground rushing past him, almost as if he were flying through the air.

Glancing up, his eyes widened at the sight of a man dressed only in a loincloth clutching onto the back of his jacket, the other hand clasped around a vine as they swung through the branches.

“What in the- “ Feeling a gnawing on his leg, he immediately drew his machete, swinging it at the baboon that was clutching onto his boot, “- Get off! Get off!”

He lost his boot in the process, as the strange man suddenly leapt into the air, landed on a nearby branch and catching Clayton in his arms.

Like a damn damsel in distress.

“Put me down!” Clayton struggled, neatening out his jacket as the man stared at him in confusion, “What the devil are you- “

He stopped, hearing the shrieks of the baboons over the tree-tops, swinging his machete threateningly. “Come on then if you- WOAH!”

Once again, Clayton found himself flying through the trees and branches as the man’s feet skidded along the moss-covered bark. Any baboon unlucky to get too close, received a nasty cut to whatever body part happened to be closest.

None of them got close enough to cause any problems.

The rest of the journey was chaotic, and honestly, even the worst safari in history couldn’t measure up to this experience.

When they finally stopped, landing on a large branch, the stranger pressed Clayton up against the trunk, as the debris from their escape attempts crashed through the treetops and smashed the branch they were standing on until not much was left.

“Get off of me!” Clayton growled, trying to push the man away, only to frown when the man didn’t even flinch, merely turning around to frown at a nearby baboon, the baby on its’ back, still clutching onto the picture Jane had drawn.

And then they talked to each other.

As in, the baboon chittered, and the man chittered back.

Taking advantage as the man backed away, he shuffled his way around the tree trunk, spotting another tree branch opposite. “I am in a tree with a lunatic who speaks to baboons.” He hissed, easily jumping across, “This day cannot get any worse.”

And then the heavens opened up, instantly soaking him to the bone.

“Fan-tastic.”

Turning around, Clayton flinched at the sight of the strange man standing so close to him, causing him to back into the trunk. “Stay back!” he growled, feeling around for any sort of weapon, having lost his machete in the scuffle.

When he found his old hunting knife, he pulled it out and held it out in front of him, preventing the man from coming any closer. “Stay back, like a good wild man! Stay, I’m warning- “

The man grabbed Claytons’ wrist, moving it and the knife out of the way as he moved closer.

“What do you think you’re- “Clayton cut himself off as the man frowned in confusion, pulling the knife out and dropping it to the ground, before pulling the hand directly in front of him. Slowly, he placed his own hand against Clayton’s, eyes widening.

“It’s a hand.” Clayton grunted, “You have two of your own, can’t you see that?!”

The man just stared at him, almost in confusion… like he’d never seen another human being before. Then, before Clayton could react, the man leant forwards and pressed his ear against Clayton’s chest.

“What are you- “

Whatever the man heard, he seemed thrilled at, because a beam spread across his face and he attempted to pull Claytons’ head forwards to his own chest.

“Stop that!”

The man looked hurt for a few moments, tilting his head to one side before he smiled again. “Stop that!”

Clayton stared at him in shock, “So you can talk? And all this time I thought you were just some uneducated, buffoon of a man who- “ He cut himself off as the man hopped forwards, a smile on his face as he grunted and pointed at himself.

“Tarzan.”

When Clayton just stared at him, he did it again.

“Tar-Zan.”

“Tarzan? What are you- “

When this… Tarzan jumped up and down in excitement, still staring at Clayton, who eventually got it.

“Oh, I see!”

“Oh, I see!” Tarzan gestured at himself, “Tarzan…” He then pointed at Clayton, “… OhIsee.”

“No, no, no!” Clayton sighed, “You can call me Clayton.”

Tarzan looked confused for a few seconds, before beaming, “No, no, no! You can call me Clayton!” He mimicked perfectly, clearly thinking the entire sentence was his name.

“Oh for- Clay-ton!” Clayton pointed at his own chest violently, and then at Tarzan’s, “Tar-zan. Clayton. Tarzan!”

“Clayton.” Tarzan leaned forwards, only to frown when Clayton pushed himself away and got to his feet.

“Right.” He started, glancing around, “As you seem to know where we are, you can take me back to camp.”


	2. Chapter 2

As they touched back down in the camp, Clayton broke away from Tarzan immediately, only to notice just how many gorillas were currently in the camp… trashing it really.

Automatically, his hands reached out for his gun.

Snarling in fury when he couldn’t find it, he almost missed seeing Tarzan run over to the gorillas (and elephant, strangely enough). Slowly moving his hand away from the gun sheath, Clayton watched as Tarzan wrestled with one of the gorillas, the pair of them grunting at each other.

“He’s… one of them.”

The gorillas then seemed to notice Clayton, all shuffling forward… and then they stopped, backing away quickly. Even Tarzan looked a little panicked, staring at something over Clayton’s shoulder.

Noticing that he was standing in the shade of something, Clayton slowly turned around, only to come face to face with, what was probably, the Alpha gorilla.

“Oh… my… God.” He couldn’t help but hiss. The last time he’d been next to a gorilla this large, was- 

//”Don’t worry! I’ll set you free!

BANG

“D-Dad, I- “

“- You don’t help creatures like this boy, you shoot them! We’re the predators and they are the prey!” \\\

As the Alpha gorilla roared, slamming its fists against its chest, Clayton took several steps back in alarm, the back of his foot catching a rock, causing him to stumble to the ground. Closing his eyes, he heard and felt the gorilla sniff him a few times, before it roared again, seeming to move away.

When Clayton next opened his eyes, it was to see Tarzan being pulled away by the other gorillas, the pair of them unable to take their eyes off each other.

“Clayton!” 

“Clayton!”

“CLAYTON!”

The gorillas had only just disappeared into the tree when Jane and the Professor stumbled into the camp. How Jane had managed to find her father, Clayton would never know, but judging by the tears in her dress, it wasn’t an easy task.

“What happened?!” Jane gasped at the sight of the camp, “Look at all my dresses!”

“Clayton, are you alright?” The Professor asked, watching as Clayton slowly pushed himself to his feet.

“I’m fine Professor… no thanks to your daughter.”

Jane spun around in indignation, “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“You riled up those baboons until they chased us, if it hadn’t of been for Tarzan, I would be de- “Realising what he’d just said, Clayton cut himself off, but the damage had been done already.

“Tarzan? Who’s Tarzan?”

The father/daughter pair peered at him curiously, until he finally relented with a sigh. “Tarzan is… a wild man. I believe he’s been raised in this jungle since birth, under the care of the gorillas probably.”

“The gorillas? Really?” Jane’s eyes widened in amazement, “You saw the gorillas?!”

“Oh yes… and then he left with them.”

Ignoring how the Professor and Jane grabbed at him, Clayton stormed back to his torn and tattered tent, groaning at the mess inside.

……………………………………………..………………………………

A few days passed, with the majority of them spent neatening up the camp. Once everything was in order, Jane started her pestering, dragging Clayton over to the chalkboard and demanding up to describe the mysterious wild-man Tarzan.

“No, he didn’t walk upright.” Clayton sighed, just wanting to shave in peace “He walked all… hunched over like a gorilla.”

He could probably describe Tarzan a little better, with how close the man got to him, but honestly, he wasn’t ready for that line of questioning. He didn’t mention how confused the man looked at first, like he’d never seen another human being before. He didn’t mention how intense and focused the man’s green eyes were.

He’d never seen eyes like that before.

“-ayton? Clayton!”

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Clayton cleared his throat. “Yes Miss Porter?”

“You were talking about this… Tarzan?”

Clayton rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t matter Miss Porter. For all I know, it was all a hallucination from the heat and this Tarzan doesn’t even- “

Tarzan dropped down right in front of him, a soft smile on his face.

“- exist.”

“Look, look, look!” The professor rushed up to Tarzan, who was baffled by the sudden attention, “It’s Tarzan!”

“Yes, I can see that Professor.” Clayton sighed, taking a step back as Tarzan rushed over to him, straightening to his full height to try and touch Claytons’ face, “Personal space Tarzan, step back!”

Tarzan just gave him a hurt look, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

“Look at him.” The Professor whispered in amazement, “Moves like an ape, but looks like a man. He may be the missing link!”

“Or our link to seeing the gorillas Daddy!” 

Jane rushed over to Tarzan, grabbing his arm and diverting his attention away from Clayton. “Where are the gorillas?”

Tarzan just stared at her, watching as she dropped to the ground and started to imitate a gorilla. Honestly, Clayton was starting to get embarrassed for her. 

“Thank you, Miss Porter!” He interrupted loudly, rolling his eyes as Clayton perked up like a puppy, “I think I can take it from here.”

…………………………………………………………………

“Pay close attention now.” Clayton ordered, as Jane and the Professor operated the side projector, “Gorilla… man…. Jungle…. City.”

It was actually a little bit funny to see how fascinated Tarzan was, with what he saw.

When the image of two people dancing popped up, Tarzan bounded over eagerly, trying to grab Clayton’s hand, missing every attempt.

“Stop that!” Clayton hissed, eyes darting over to the other two, “It’s a man and a woman! Go and dance with Jane.”

He was completely and utterly ignored, until the slide of outer space appeared.

“Now this we can work with.” Clayton sighed in relief, “Professor, fetch your telescope. Anything is better than this dancing.”

………………………………………………………………………..

The next few days was spent trying to teach Tarzan how to read and speak like a proper gentleman.

Clayton was going to question why Jane had brought such basic books with her on this journey, when she couldn’t even be bothered to bring the essentials for travel in Africa. Dresses and books, that was all she seemed to have brought.

“See… Jane… Run.”

Not that you would ever see the actual Jane running…. It not being lady-like after all.

“See… Jane… run.” Tarzan repeated slowly, glancing over at Clayton and beaming as Clayton nodded in approval.

“Don’t expect to see our Jane actually run.” He scowled, “Understood?”

“Yes!” 

Clayton wasn’t actually sure Tarzan knew what that meant, but he appreciated the enthusiasm.

………………………………………………………………….

The next day, Clayton noticed the professors’ bike was missing.

“Professor, what- “

“I decided to let Tarzan have a go on it. He was enthralled with the photos I showed him!”

It was at this moment, that Clayton heard branches break up ahead, a bike skidding past them.

“What the- “ Clayton moved to follow the bike, only to sense something behind him, “- Tarzan.” He growled, stopping in his tracks.

Spinning around, he scowled at the younger man, who was right in the middle of mocking his walk by the look of it.

“If the professor’s bike is broken, I will not be very happy. Am I understood?”

Tarzan nodded, still with that goofy grin on his face… the same one that had started to make Clayton’s heart flutter.

“Good… now back to lessons.”

…………………………………………………………………….

“It’s like he’s not even listening to me!” Jane groaned, having spent a useless day pouring over a map with Tarzan, trying to get him to reveal the location of the gorillas (despite the fact he was only just learning to read, she thought he could read a map), “He just keeps staring off at something else!”

“Oh dear.” The Professor frowned, “Have you tried asking him what he was looking at?”

“Yes, and he just kept saying Clayton over and over again!” Jane frowned, “Haven’t you taught him any other words?”

Clayton ignored her. 

His heart was definitely beating faster now.


	3. Chapter 3

“- And I told you, this conversation is over.” Clayton snarled at the man, “I know we don’t have long before the ships comes back, but- “

“- Clayton!”

Pushing the man away, Clayton turned as Tarzan came bounding up to him, his usual smile on his face.

“Are you okay?” Tarzan asked in slightly broken English, looking a little concerned.

“Hmmm, I was just…” Clayton had to think of something and think quickly, “… Disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” Tarzan looked confused at the new word.

“Yes, I wanted to see some- “Clayton cut himself off.

Should he mention the gorillas now?

Would Tarzan actually take them to see the gorillas?

“- birds.” Clayton mentally winced at his own words, kicking himself, but continuing on with the lie, “I heard that there were some… nice birds in these jungles and I have yet to see any.”

Tarzan brightened up at these words, grabbing Clayton’s hands and dragging him into the jungle.

“Tarzan! Tarzan!”

“I know where birds are!”

Clayton groaned under his breath, not willing to pull his hand out of Tarzan’s grasp just yet. They were underneath a giant tree, vines hanging down, before Tarzan came to a stop.

“Up!”

He reached out, as though to lift Clayton up, only for the older man to take a step back.

“I can climb up my own vines, thank you very much.” He straightened out his jacket, before grabbing onto a vine and climbing up… albeit a lot slower than Tarzan. 

Eventually, they reached the top, balancing on thick branches that were surrounded by leaves.

“Through here.” Tarzan whispered, moving a thinner branch to one side and encouraging Clayton to head on up. Once he stuck his head through the newly created hole, Clayton couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

Dozens and dozens of brightly coloured parrots and other tropical birds sat in branches, or flew around them, none of them seeming to care that the two humans were technically invading their territory.

It was just how Clayton imagined it would be… when he was a child.

******Flashback******

“What the bloody hell are you doing boy?”

Clayton yelped, slamming his sketchbook shut, as his father came charging into the room, eyes wild with fury.

“I told you to be downstairs and packed, ready for our trip at five pm sharp!”

“But- “

“- But?” His Father’s eyes narrowed, “Did I hear you say but?”

“N-No, I- “Clayton winced as his book was snatched out of his hands, and his Father started flipping through the pages.

“You really think this is what the jungle is like boy?!” His Father scoffed, “Pretty birds and animals that will roll over for you like a dog?!”

“I don’t- “

“- Boy, by the time those creatures are done with you, you’ll be lucky if your pinky finger is left!”

*****End Flashback*****

“Clayton? Clayton, are you okay?”

Clayton remained silent and still, watching as several parrots landed along his arms, curious eyes staring at him.

Thankfully, Tarzan seemed to understand that he was a little awed by it all, remaining silent with only a fond smile on his face.

They stared there for hours, until the sun had long set in the sky, leaving only twinkling stars.

“Come.” Tarzan gently pulled Clayton away as all the birds settled, “I have to show you something.”

“We should be getting back to the camp.”

“We will” Tarzan led him out onto a thicker branch that was surrounded by vines. He reached out, and pulled one closer, “Here.”

“…. I am not swinging on one of those.”

“It is… simple?” Tarzan adjusted his hands, before placing a hand on the small of Clayton’s back, who was sure that the jungle was meant to get colder at night, “Just relax.”

He pushed Clayton off the branch, jumping off behind him and watching as the older man swung forwards, clinging tightly onto the vine, until he finally relaxed.

This was actually… kind of nice.

“So…” Tarzan swung next to him, their vines intertwining with each other, “… what do you think?”

“It’s…” Clayton was ready to play it off again, make out like it was nothing. And then he saw the hopeful look on Tarzan’s face, “… amazing.”

It was worth the slight embarrassment to see that smile on Tarzan’s face.

…………………………………………………………………………

“We’ve wasted all this time doing what he wants to do!” Jane whined, “The boat could arrive any day now! Clayton, just ask him!”

Clayton glanced over at Tarzan, who was gleefully examining a model of the solar system. As much as he hated to admit it, Jane had a point.

They came here to see the gorillas.

He cleared his throat, and made his way over to the younger man, “Tarzan.” He started sternly, only to soften when the man turned and beamed at him, “Will you take us to the gorillas? Do you understand?”

“I… understand.”

Behind Clayton, Jane and the Professor almost exploded in excitement, with Jane pushing past Clayton and leaning in close to the young man, “Well? When?”

“I can’t.”

Clayton frowned, “Why not?”

“… Kerchak.”

And then, before any of them could say anything, Tarzan was gone, disappearing into the trees, leaving behind a disappointed trio.

…………………………………………………..……………………………………..

The next few days were spent trying to persuade Tarzan to take them to the gorillas, only to be met with a brick wall.

Tarzan refused to listen, bounding away to satisfy his endless curiosity.

His favourite thing to do, was go through the slides.

Little did Clayton know, that Tarzan was focusing on the slide, where a man was giving flowers to a woman.

……………………………………………………….……………………………………..

Tarzan spent the entire morning picking the perfect flowers for Clayton, skidding down branches and trunks to pick one that looked exactly like the picture. If a few petals got lost along the way, then no-one needed to know but him.

As he showed up at the camp, he stopped in his tracks, eyes widening at what he saw.

Everything was being packed away.

“You’re the Captain!” Clayton was shouting at another man, “Just tell them you had engine troubles and give us two more days!”

“And be late at every port from here to London? I can’t do it!”

As the man stormed away, Jane pouted at Clayton. “You should have made him show us the gorillas.”

“Don’t you think I’m disappointed as well Miss Porter?” Clayton turned to finish packing his suitcase, only to bump right into Tarzan, sending petals everywhere. “Oh! Tarzan! I did hope that you would be on time.”

When Tarzan frowned, Clayton gestured at the path that had been cleared for them. “The ship’s arrived… the ship is has come to take us home.”

Tarzan tilted his head to one side in confusion.

“I was hoping you would come with us.” Clayton continued, “It’s not healthy for a young man to spend his life in this jungle you know. You would be much happier back in England, I promise.”

Tarzan actually seemed to be considering it, “Go to England today. Come home tomorrow?”

Although his face remained impassive, Clayton felt a twinge of guilt. “Well no…” He sighed, “… This is very much a… one-way journey.”

“So… I can’t come home again?”

Clayton resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “You need to be with other humans Tarzan… and so do I.”

He didn’t intend to go back to poaching after this trip… not after all that he’d seen. A retirement office was just a call away.

Suddenly, Tarzan fell to his knees, one hand on his chest and the other clutching a bed-draggled bouquet of flowers. “Clayton must stay with Tarzan!”

Now, Clayton was really guilty. “Tarzan, I- I can’t.”

Without giving the man a chance to speak further, he turned and headed back to his own tent, closing the flap so that no could see the slightly devastated look on his face.

Which of course meant, that he didn’t see Jane sidling over to Tarzan.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Poor Clayton.”

Tarzan turned as Jane moved to stand next to him, a full suitcase in her arms and a sympathetic look on her face.

“Poor… Clayton?”

Jane nodded sadly, “He seemed to be really looking forwards to seeing the gorillas you know…. We all were, but Clayton really wanted to see them.”

“He’s…. going.”

“We all are. If we’d seen the gorillas, we might have been able to stay a little longer.” She shrugged, “Never mind.”

But the words were already circling around in Tarzan’s head, flashing like the stars in the sky.

If Clayton saw the gorillas, then he would stay with him.

It was an easy decision to make really.


	4. Chapter 4

“Terk, all you have to do is keep Kerchak away!”

“What?!” 

“I’d be happy to keep Kerchak- “ Tantor was cut off as Terk grabbed his trunk and gave it a tight squeeze, sneering at him in frustration.

“- Shut your trunk and get me out of here!” 

The pair walked away, as Tarzan rolled his eyes fondly, listening to Terk rant and rave.

“Can you believe the nerve of that guy?!” She growled, “Drops us like a new-born giraffe, KERPLOP, and then waltzes back here and expects us to just- “

Tarzan took this opportunity to interrupt, feeling a little guilty over Terks’ words, dropping down in front of them, landing on Tantor’s tusks. “Terk… I’m asking as a friend.”

“Aaaaah- “

He widened his eyes, which only made Terk groan in exasperation.

“With the face, and the eyes and- AH! Fine!” Terk snapped, “But you better not make me do anything embarrassing!”

She was going to kill him.

………………………………………………………………..

Knowing that Terk and Tantor were leading Kerchak away, Tarzan practically ran to the camp, dropping down in front of Clayton, Jane and the Professor as they continued to pack.

“See gorillas now.” He exclaimed, smiling when they all made exclamations of shock and surprise.

“What?”

“Seriously?”

“Tarzan.” 

Tarzan glanced at Clayton, who frowned.

“You’re not joking are you?”

“No!” Tarzan shook his head furiously, “Promise!” He reached out and grabbed Clayton’s hand, almost bouncing up and down in his eagerness, “Come on! Come on! We don’t have much time!”

………………………………………………………………………….

It took time, but soon, they were approaching the gorillas’ nests.

Clayton knew he should be taking notes, notes that could be used again in the future.

But he couldn’t… he just couldn’t.

//Yer a damn weakling boy! \\\

Clayton pushed that voice to the back of his mind, continuing to follow Tarzan as he helped them higher and higher into the trees. Eventually, they reached a small clearing, where a lone gorilla sat, picking at the flowers in front of her.

She turned and slowly started to make her way over, only to stop at the sight of them.

“Daddy, look!” Jane whispered, as her and the Professor gasped in amazement.

Being careful not to crowd around the female, Clayton went to stand over to one side instead. “She is beautiful.” he couldn’t help but whisper, as Tarzan turned to face him.

“She’s… my mother.”

“Your moth-“ Clayton stopped, nodding in understanding. This must have been the gorilla who raised Tarzan from a baby, “Your Mother.”

Tarzan nodded, lowering himself and making soothing noises, only for the female gorilla to back away.

“What- what’s going on?” The Professor asked, as Jane darted forwards, prompting Clayton to grab her arm and pull her back.

“She’s scared enough without having you shrieking in her face!” He hissed, as she protested, “Take a step back Jane.” When he let go of her, he groaned as she and the Professor got to their knees, trying to imitate the noises Tarzan was.

“What do you think you are doing?” He resisted the urge, “You’re making fools of yourselves, now get up, get up!” He then glanced up, his eyes widening in surprise, “Don’t… get… up.”

All around them, in the high branches, gorillas were peering over the side at them, all looking just as curious as them.

The Professor actually ended up fainting.

The map in his pocket felt like it was burning, but he still refused to remove it from his pocket.

Hearing a soft noise by his feet, he glanced down, spotting three baby gorillas cautiously making their way over to him. “Hello.” He moved to his knees, smirking when one of them tried beating on his chest as a show of intimidation, so eager to the point that he fell back into Clayton’s hands.

“Atta boy.” Clayton couldn’t help but chuckle fondly, “You’ll be a strong one, one day.”

He didn’t notice the pleased beam Tarzan was giving him behind his back. He was only vaguely away of Jane and her Father eagerly discussing ‘social grooming’. As older gorillas started to paw at him slightly, he was glad he hadn’t brought his gun with him.

That would have been a disaster.

After batting the older ones away, Clayton watched the younger one all rushed over to Tarzan, leaping at him and batting at him playfully.

And the only reason he was smiling, was because everyone else was smiling too, not because the sight was, dare he say it, adorable?

Slowly, he moved over and sat next to Tarzan. “Can you… teach me?” He asked, mentally scolded him self for the nervous tone.

“To speak gorilla?”

As one of the babies started to climb all over him, Clayton nodded, watching as Tarzan placed the babies back on the ground and turned to face him.

“Oo, oo, ee.” Tarzan grunted, nodding at Clayton, waiting for him to repeat it.

Clayton did, feeling a little silly. Languages were never his area of expertise, having been raised by his Father.

His Father’s method of speaking to anyone who didn’t English, involved speaking loudly and slowly, often with hand gestures.

“Oo, oo, ee.”

Tarzan beamed encouragingly, “Eh, ooooo.” Was the next step.

Honestly it took Clayton a little bit longer to get this bit, batting Tarzan’s hands away from his cheeks when the other man tried to help. He didn’t need his cheeks smushed in order to master this sentence.

After perfecting the sounds, Tarzan gave him an encouraging nod, prompting Clayton to say the whole thing at once.

“Oo, oo, ee, eh, oooooo.”

Suddenly, the baby gorillas went nuts, whooping and bouncing up and down in glee, as Clayton frowned in confusion.

“What did I say?”

“I stay with Tarzan.”

Clayton stared at Tarzan for a few moments, before realising exactly what Tarzan meant… these babies actually though he was going to- 

“Tarzan.” He started sternly, “We’ve talked about this.”

The smile from Tarzan’s face dropped instantly, as he tilted his head to the side. However, before he could say anything, there was a commotion to the right of them, as a gorilla dressed in a familiar looking yellow dress, and an elephant crashed through the trees, landing in a heap beside them.

“Is that my dress?!” Jane shrieked indignantly.

“Oh no…” Tarzan whispered, reaching out to grab Clayton’s arm and pull him back, as there was an even bigger roar, the Alpha of the gorilla family charging forwards, teeth bared, raised to his full height.

And then he saw the humans and stopped dead in his tracks.

If Clayton didn’t know any better, he’d say that the gorilla looked almost…. Betrayed.

“Tarzan…” He whispered, “… Tarzan, what should we- “

“- Sssh.” Tarzan hopped forwards, meeting the Alpha in the middle, making soft cooing noises, almost like he was trying to justify why other humans were here.

The Alpha looked stunned, glancing between the human and Tarzan…. And then Jane fainted.

“Jane!” The Professor hissed, thankfully smart enough to keep his voice low and non-threatening, “Jane!”

“Get her out of here.” Tarzan ordered softly, glancing back at Clayton, “I can handle this.”

“But Tarzan- “

“- Go!”

Slowly, Clayton nodded, moving over to Jane and lifting her into his arms and slowly backing away, being sure not to look the gorilla in the eyes.

Tarzan would handle this.

He was sure of it.

……………………………………………………………..………………..

They were just getting ready to head back to the ship when Clayton saw Tarzan again. The man was dressed in an outdated, but well-fitted suit, looking very unsure with himself.

“Tarzan?”

Tarzan looked up at him, grief and sorrow written all over his face as Clayton moved closer.

“What happened?”

“… Kerchak threw me out.” Tarzan admitted eventually, “Mother… she told me about my human parents.” He smoothed his hands over the suit, “This… this was Father’s.”

His Father must have been an equally fit man, Clayton concluded. Had he been a lean gentleman, Tarzan would never had fit in that suit.

“So… you’re coming back to England with us?” Jane piped up, not seeming to notice the look on Tarzan’s face, or the tension all over his body.

When Tarzan nodded, she beamed in delight.

“Oh, I can’t wait to introduce you to all my friends! Just wait until they hear that I met an actual wild man! Everyone is going to want to meet you! Kings, famous scientists and writers! Like Darwin and Kipling and- “

Clayton sighed, climbing into the tiny row-boat as they set off towards the large ship.

“It’ll be alright.” He found himself trying to reassure the younger man, “You can move in with me, and we’ll get you settled in as best as we can.”

“… Thank you.”

They reached the ship, where a rope ladder was waiting for them.

“England will be strange.” Clayton sighed as they climbed up, “I can only hope you will get used to it.”

Spotting that Tarzan was staring back at the island, Clayton sighed and made his way up the ladder, giving Tarzan the privacy he needed.

And then everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

“Clayton! Clayton!”

He came to slowly, groaning at the pain in his head as he glanced around, hearing a loud thumping noise. “What’s- what’s going on?” He grunted, opening his eyes, only to see a familiar figure fling himself from one side of the room to another.

“Betrayal!” The Professor sighed, “That crew you hired have completely turned against us, trapping us here whilst they go after the gorillas!”

“How can they?” Clayton pushed himself into a seated position, “They don’t know where they are?!”

Silence.

“Do they?”

More silence.

Slowly, he opened up his eyes, to see a guilty look flash across Jane’s face.

“They were going to hurt Daddy.” She whispered, not looking at his accusing face, “Besides, you hired them!”

“I did.” Clayton had to admit defeat there, “I did indeed.”

Tarzan flung himself across the ship again, the sound echoing off the walls with a loud BANG, before clinging at the metal grate up above and slamming his feet against it.

“Tarzan, enough!” Clayton ordered… or at least he tried to, pushing through the ache in his head.

It was evident that Tarzan was struggling with the enclosed space, eyes wide and terrified.

How could he have expected the young man to move to London, as though nothing was wrong.

Slowly, he made his way over to the younger man, cautiously placing a hand on his shoulder, only for Tarzan to spin around and growl threateningly at him.

“It’s okay.” Clayton tried to be calm, “It’ll be okay.”

“No, it won’t.” Tarzan shook his head, “This is all my fault. I betrayed my family… Kerchak was right.”

Clayton couldn’t tell him the truth… he couldn’t tell him that this was his original plan. To find the gorillas and lead the poachers right to them.

“All those magnificent creatures!” The Professor sighed mournfully, “Shivering in cages! What is this world coming to!” He slammed his fist against the side of the boat, only for it to tip to one side violently, sending everyone skidding and sliding into one another.

“By jove… I don’t know my own strength!”

The ship then rocked violently to the other side, sending them skidding in that direction.

“What the devil is going on?!” Clayton growled.

There was the triumphant cry of an elephant, before a foot came crashing through the grate, inches away from a confused Professor.

“That sounded just like an elephant.”

“Tantor!” 

The elephant helped Tarzan out of the ship, and the man was gone, diving into the water before Clayton could say anything.

“Come on!” He ordered the others, “We need to get back to the island!”

………………………………………….…………………………………………….……………………………………..

Clayton could honestly say that he had never rode an elephant into battle before.

He wasn’t sure it was an experience he was ready to repeat.

“CHARGE!” The Professor yelled, knocking the leader of the poachers over.

Once Tantor had skidded to a halt, Clayton leapt off the back, tackling another man to the ground and knocking him out with one hit, before moving onto the next one. In the distance, he spotted two of them trying to get away with the gorilla Tarzan had referred to as his Mother, spurring him into action.

Knowing that Jane and the Professor would be able to manage the other on the back of Tantor, Clayton gave chase after them.

And then he spotted the vine.

“I can’t believe I’m going to do this.” He muttered, taking a running leap as he grabbed it, swinging forwards and knocking one of the men away from the cage. As the other man growled and prepared for a fight, there was a sudden commotion up above, prompting Clayton to look up.

Baboons.

An entire army of baboons.

Clayton never though he’d be happy to see them again.

The little one made a noise that sounded an awful lot like CHARGE, and they all rushed forwards, sending the poacher running for the hills, as the baby baboon landed on Clayton’s shoulder.

“Alright. Maybe you’re not so bad.”

Tarzan rushed over at this point, as Clayton broke open the locks of the cage, helping his mother out of the cage. However, before the pair could properly reunite, there was an almighty BANG, as Tarzan grunted in pain, hand moving to clutch his arm.

It was easy to see the blood oozing out from in between his fingers.

Clayton’s head shot over to where the bullet come from, eyes widening at the sight of Jane struggling with the last poacher, both of them fighting over a shotgun.

She was only trying to help.

But the Alpha gorilla didn’t see that.

“JANE!” Clayton yelled, as the Alpha charged at them, just as Jane managed to kick the man away. She spun around… and panicked.

The gun went off again, and the Alpha fell to the ground, closely followed by Jane dropping the gun, her hands flying up to her face in shock.

“I didn’t mean to!” She begged Tarzan, as him and his mother rushed over, “Please! It-it was an accident!”

Softly, the Professor took her arm and pulled her away. “Come on my dear.” He whispered, “Give them some space.”

“Daddy, please, I- “

“- I know. I know.” 

Clayton remained silent, glancing over at the fallen gorilla, who seemed to be talking to Tarzan.

It was a fatal wound, but that much was obvious.

The whispered conversation went on for a few moments, before the large gorilla went limp, and his hand fell to the ground. Almost immediately, the surrounding gorillas’ started to make low, mournful sounds, as Tarzan pulled the body into one last hug.

He was never going to touch another gun, so long as he lived.

He watched as Tarzan turned to face the group, straightening up and banging on his chest as a show of dominance, before moving to leave.

He was in charge now.

He was the Alpha.

He wasn’t leaving his family… not now.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“London is going to appear very small after all this.” Clayton mused, watching as Jane, the Professor and the Captain got the rowboat ready.

The gorillas hadn’t lashed out at the young woman, but it was clear that she would never be welcome, and that was the best they could have hoped for.

“I will miss you Clayton.” Tarzan whispered, having come to see them off.

“Mister Clayton!”

“Hold your horses for one damn minute!” Clayton snapped, annoyed at the interruption, before turning back to Tarzan, “Well… I suppose it’s time for us to say goodbye old boy.”

He held out his hand, only for Tarzan to press their palms together, much like he had that first meeting.

“Goodbye.”

Clayton couldn’t take it anymore, yanking himself away and striding over to the boat, refusing to look back at the younger man, even as the Professor waved and cried out to him.

“Goodbye! Goodbye Tarzan!” The old man sighed, “Oh, I am going to miss that boy.”

Clayton remained silent, in the process of untying his neck-scarf to wipe his forehead.

“Clayton, old boy…” The Professor cleared his throat to catch his attention, “… Don’t you think you’re better off staying here?”

“… I have responsibilities in England, Professor.” Clayton refused to look the man in the eyes, “I am heir to a rather large estate if you remember- Dammit!”

The wind caught his neck-scarf, sending it flying out of his hands, back towards Tarzan. Clayton glanced back and immediately wished that he hadn’t.

Tarzan looked heartbroken.

“I know how… cruel society in England can be. Would you not be happier here?”

For a moment, Clayton was going to argue… and then he thought about it.

Yes. Yes, he would be happier here.

“It’s been a pleasure Professor.” He held out his hand to shake the older man’s hand, nodding at Jane, “Miss Porter.”

He then jumped into the sea, thankful that his feet could still reach the bottom as he trudged forwards in determination. Tarzan was only just getting to his feet when he managed to reach him, a confused look on his face as Clayton pulled him into a kiss. When they finally pulled away, Tarzan had a dazed look on his face.

“Come on.” Clayton then grunted, grabbing Tarzan’s hand, “Enough of this.”

…………………………………………………………………………..

Back at the boat, the Captain of the ship was ready to turn back around.

“Nonsense!” The Professor waved his hand in dismissal, “We’ll just say that we couldn’t find him. People do get lost in the jungle all the time, you know.”

……………………………………………………………………..

As he was led over to the small group of gorillas, who had been hiding in the bushes, Tarzan’s mother took his hand and almost seemed to smile warmly at him.

It was probably the first time a mother had approved of him so quickly.

Before Tarzan could introduce him, he held up a hand to stop him, clearing his throat nervously.

“Oo, oo, ee, eh, oooooo.”

This time, the cheering was completely warranted.


End file.
